Anchor



Dec. 7, 1954 G. o. PITZIPIO 2,696,187

' ANCHOR Filed March 18, 1953 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

G. o. PITZIPIO Dec. 7, 1954 ANCHOR 2 SheetS -Sheet 2 Filed larch 18, 1953 INVENTOR. C0174- OWW United States Patent ANCHOR George 0. Pitzipio, New York, N. Y.

Application March 18, 1953, Serial No. 343,038

3 Claims. (Cl. 114208) This invention relates to anchors and more particularly to light weight anchors suitable for mooring floating vessels and small craft generally, although not limited thereto.

One of the objects of this invention is to so design an anchor which is adapted to enter penetrable bottom substantially independent of its weight, that in so designing and disposing of the various means employed in its construction it shall be free from the shortcomings of other anchors of this type. Another object is to provide a means of easy recovery of the anchor from the bottom. Other objects will be obvious.

Some of the shortcomings referred to are: Taking hold slowly. Floating, which will occur most often in very soft bottom. The fluke or flukes will slide over the bottom for some distance before taking hold. Skidding occurs when the forward end of the shank, the side of a fluke and the adjacent stock end only, are in contact with the bottom, the anchor skids and does not take hold quickly. Rotation is presumably brought about by unequal downward forces acting on the flukes of a two fluke anchor which has a centrally located shank and on whose axis the anchor starts to rotate and eventually breaks itself out of the bottom. The difficulty of recovering an anchor of this type with only the leverage of the shank to break out the flukes when well imbedded, must be at once apparent.

Anchors of this class employ tripping or planing devices placed on the head, which is the rear and larger end of the shank, and which is usually on the center line of the anchor. These means grouped on the head, together with the stock, which is usually an extension of the fluke pivot-pins, are relied upon to lift the rear end in some manner that the anchor may take hold. At best, using devices on the shank head, which of necessity makes this locality higher than the stock ends, seldom produces a position parallel to the ground, the best initial position for taking hold.

In my invention, together with a means to check the angular motion of the fluke with respect to the shank, I employ one or more planing surfaces, raised from the fluke but integral with it, substantially in the same plane, placed on either side of the flukes pivotal axis, they exert no counterbalancing effect, but are used for raising rear end horizontally or parallel to the bottom, allowing the front end to fall and thereby dig in. This horizontal or parallel to the bottom position, brought about by the planing surfaces is the solution of two of the aforementioned drawbacks, planing and skidding. Rotation: The vertical supports for the planing surfaces, and the surfaces themselves, are so designed as to offer the least possible resistance to forward or digging-in motion, and as large a resistance as is possible to vertical and transverse forces, thereby acting as a damper to incipient rotation. This, in practice, effectively removes the third objection.

It has been found that in some types of holding, my anchor, once it has properly positioned itself through the use of the planing surfaces, an initial impetus to taking hold quickly has been produced by the addition of a tripping piece on the surfaces of the fluke along its center line, consisting of a vertical rib top and bottom, with the vertical advancing edge kept well forward of the transverse center line of said fluke.

To facilitate the anchors recovery when imbedded in the bottom, I add the feature of a free-running mooring "ice ring on the horizontal double shank, it can traverse from one side to the other, and although I do not Wish to be limited to this free-running feature; it now is only necessary to run the vessel forward and the ring will follow along one arm of the horizontal shank, and the anchor will come out sideways.

. From the above expositions, a new and positive interaction, the attaining of the raised and parallel to the ground position of the flukes rear end appear to have produced an essential requirement and a resultant increase in efficiency.

My invention may be more readily understood by reference to the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an anchor embodying the present invention with fluke in operating position. Fig. 2 is plan view of the same anchor with fluke in similar position. Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent the same view of my anchor, depicting another means of checking angular motion of fluke with regard to shank. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side view of shank 2, showing a fixed mooring ring.

In Fig. 1 of the following description, 1 is a fluke pivoted between the rear ends of a suitable form of double shank 2; 4 a stock serving as pivot pins in shank end pivot sockets 5; 3 are planing surfaces made to act as stops to limit angular motion of fluke when forward sides of these planing surfaces 3 contact horizontal shank 2 at point 6. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, mooring ring 7 may pass from side to side of double shank 2, as this shank lies horizontally on bottom. No. 1 is fluke in all figures; No. 10 on fluke 1 is a tripping device the front end of which is carried well forward of the transverse axis of fluke. In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, No. 8 are loose rings encircling the shank 2 and passing through holes 9 in fluke l, acting to limit the angular motion of fluke l.

I claim:

1. An anchor comprising a horizontal shank having converging elements joined together at the forward end and having a mooring ring thereon; a single fluke pivoted between the rear ends of said elements, tripping ribs mounted on said fluke on opposite sides well forward of the transverse center line thereof and adjacent to its forward end, said tripping ribs each having an advancing edge substantially vertical to the surface of said fluke and adjacent to the point of the fluke; planing surfaces integral with said fluke generally parallel to the surfaces of the fluke offset therefrom and positioned on the pivotal axis; and means adjacent to said surfaces to limit the flukes angular movement, elevate the after end parallel to the bottom, and interacting with the tripping rib, thereby enabling the anchor to dig in.

2. An anchor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to limit angular movement comprises rings each encircling a shank element and passing through a hole in said fluke to limit the angular motion thereof about said axis.

3. In an anchor having a single fluke interposed between and pivoted at an end thereof to a pair of spaced shank members having an attaching means thereon, said pivots lying in the same plane and constraining the fluke to pivot about the plane of the shank members, that improvement which comprises planing surfaces adjacent and generally parallel to said fluke, spaced from the plane of the fluke and overlying the shank members and engaging the shank members to limit pivotal movement, a tripping piece mounted on each side of the fluke along the center line thereof and adjacent to the forward end thereof, said piece formed with a shoulder at the forward end thereof generally perpendicular to the fluke to engage the bottom and trip the point of the fluke, thereby enabling the anchor to dig in.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 957,621 Neal May 10, 1910 1,899,866 Harvey Feb. 28, 1933 2,130,120 Duerr Sept. 13, 1938 2,656,811 McRae Oct. 27. 1953 

